Pinless display and clothesline



July 8, 1941. E. v. EFFERT PINLES DISPLAY AND CLOTHESLINE Filed Dec. 29, 1939 Patented July 8, 1941 Wirth 'STATES PATAEN T OFFICE PINLEss DISPLAY AND cLoT'HEsLINE Edward V. Elert, Philadelphia, Pa. Application December 29, 1939, Serial No. 311,528

9 c1aims. (C1. zii-1119.18)

My invention relates to a new and useful pinless display and clothes line, and has for one of its objects to provide an exceedingly simple and eiective line of this character that permits the housewife to readily hang clothes and other artcles thereon without the use of clothes pins thereby eliminating the inconvenience, possible loss and handling of the said .clothes pins.

Another object of the invention is to provide a line that can be used by farmers, merchants and others for displaying poultry and other articles of merchandise.

Another object of the invention is to provide a line of the character mentioned comprising two strands side by side and retained in their cooperative relation by stationary bands and sliding rings or clutch members which latter produce a clamping effect upon all articles inserted between the strands.

Another object of the invention is to so position the stationary bands as to permanently hold the line strands together at two adjacent points and at predetermined intervals thereby permitting a long line to be severed,v if desired, into shorter lines without the strands becoming separated and ing members.

Another object of the invention is to provide i clamping clutch members for the line strands which will compensate for any swelling or lateral expansion and contraction.

A further object of the invention is to construct the clutch members in a fashion that they can readily pass about a pulley or other round object without interference.

With the above and other objects in view this invention consists of the details of construction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and then designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains may understand how to make and use the same I will describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to the accompanying drawing forming a part hereof, in

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a section of pinwhich less display and clothes line constructed in accordance with one form of my invention.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the clutch v Fig. 7 is a similar view of a ring or clutch member having a cored or-grooved interior.

Fig. 8 isa perspective view of another modication.

Fig.,9 is a side elevation thereof.

Fig. 10` is a perspective viewk of a section of a line showing the manner of using a further modication.

Fig. 11 is a plan View of one of the clutch membersvor'ringsshown in Fig. 10.

Fig. 12 is a plan view of a clutch member or ring similar vto the one illustrated in Figs. 1 to 4 with the ends concaved.

fFig. v131 is a perspective View of a two piece or sectional ring orclutch member in which the sections are urged together by resilient means so that the clutch member may expand or contract with the line.

Fig-14 is a sectional View thereof.

. In carrying out my invention as herein embodied I5 represents a line consisting of two strands I6 and I1 positioned side by side. The two Strands can be` two'separate lines orone line folded back upon itself,`as in Fig'. 1, the latter manner of providing thelineforming a loop I8 which is bound or banded; Where free ends of strands come together they may be bound in any suitable Way,

capable of being stretched very tightly without the possibilityoi breaking. For best results the line should be' hung in a taut manner although not absolutely essential since the sliding members`,.to be presently described, can be adjusted to maintain the line strands contiguous one another. Whenever the line is to be used over pulleys Aboth strands at one end are folded back and secured in place to form a loop and both of the strands at theotherjend are passed through said loop and folded back and secured in place thus attaching the ends of the line together to provide an endless structure.v This method of fastening the ends retains the strength of both strands throughout their entire lengths.

At suitable intervals along the line I5, for instance every twenty-ve or fifty feet, two bands 2U are fixed in adjacent spaced relation to bind the two strands of the line together. These bands should be Aspaced a sufficient distance to permit the line to be severed with any suitable instrument within the small space between said bands. The provision of xed bands holds the ends of the strands together when the line is cut into smaller or shorter lengths. Such an arrangement is highly advantageous for the manufacturer and merchant selling the line because it permits the line to be made up in long strips and then cut oil` between any adjacent two bands without the necessity of then securing the strand ends together with the possibility of having them uneven. The bands are to be securely fixed in place to prevent slipping thereof or disengagement of the line strands therefrom so they may be serrated, knurled or cleated on the inside to accomplish the desired result. Where the resultant bands are of endless formation they may be squeezed or pressed to the line or they may be molded directly on the line. If such bands are of split formation the ends are welded, soldered or otherwise joined together. In lieu of the bands equivalent se curing means may be utilized, such as bindings of wire, cord or the like. addition to securing the line strands to one another act as steps to prevent disengagementof the rings or clutch members, to be presently described, from the line or the shifting of the same from one section of the line to another.

The rings or clutch members are of several formations, one of which is particularly illustrated in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 and numbered 2|. This ring or clutch member 2| has a body 22 of tubular formation and elliptical in cross section so as to snugly embrace the two strands of the line and provide finger space so that it may be readily grasped for sliding it. The two longer or substantially flat sides have slots 23 extending inwardly from both ends suitable distances but not far enough to unduly weaken the structure. Preferably the slots terminate at or adjacent the sides of the ribs 24 on the outside of the ring body and the ends of said ribs merge or blend into the curved portions of the body. While the ribs may be plain or smooth it is desirable that they be knurled or otherwise roughened to easily distinguish the rings or clutch members from the' fixed bands 20 and give a good gripping surface thereto for slid'- ing them along the line. In order to relieve some of the friction between the line and ring its body may have a groove or cored portion 25 formed around the inside intermediate the ends as shown in Fig, 3.

In practice a considerable number of the rings or clutch members 2| are mounted on the line and particularly on each section of the line between stops. These rings or clutch members are slidable longitudinally on the line and by separating adjacent ones of said rings, articles of any or various kinds may be inserted between the strands of the line and the rings then slid up close to and on each side of an article to draw the line strands taut and thereby clamp the article on the line.

Where the article being hung up is pliable, such as an item of clothing, portions of said article will enter the slots 23 of the rings or clutch members and be even more securely held in place. Since the rings or clutch members can be moved back and forth along the line a large portion of the line strands can be freed to permit of a thorough cleansing or wiping of said strands.

The rings or clutch members above described and the modifications to be referred to hereinafter can be produced from any suitable metals or alloys, wood, fibre, hard rubber, bone, compositions, Celluloid, Bakelite or desirable materials and can be plated, polished, painted, galvanized, enameled or otherwise given any appropriate finish.

The bands or bindings in 'aaiasie In Figs. 5, 6 and 7 I have shown a clutch member 26 which is also tubular and elliptical in cross section with a knurled exterior. 'I'he interior of this member may be plain as shown in Figs. 5 and 6 or it may have cored portion or groove 21, as in Fig. 7, to relieve it of a certain amount of the friction which is caused by an extended contact surface. Like the previously described form of the invention the present one is also slidably mounted on the line in suitable numbers between two stops such as the bands 20, the binding i 9 or the looped end I8.

Another form of clutch member is illustrated in Figs. 8 and 9 wherein 28 is the hollow elliptical body in which the bore is formed with or without the use of a core and said body has oppositely projecting arms 29 extending from one of the curved 1 portions ofthe body and of concave-convex cross section to bear against one strand of the line. The arms and part of the body with which said arms are joined are cored, grooved or recessed between points a short distance inside of the ends of the arms as indicated at 3B to reduce friction between cooperating parts,

On therbody 28 is mounted a spring 3| opposite the arms 29 and at both ends of said spring are curved Vcontact shoes 32 all edges of which are rounded as at 33 to permit easy sliding of the clutch member along the line, and said spring 3l preferably'isset in a notch 34 formed in the body and secured in place at 35 by a fastening device or spot welding or other equivalent means. In this construction the interior of the body 28 should be slightly larger than the combined areas of the two strands of the line but the spring will provide the necessary tension to maintain the line strands in juxtaposition while permitting lateral expansion of said strands when the line is wet.

In order to obtain results similar to those secured from the structure illustrated in Figsl 8 and 9 and provided for the clutch member to pass around a pulley I have shown in Figs. 1U and 11 a clutch member 36 produced from spring wire. The wirer is coiled to form an elliptical body 3l with arms 38 projecting therefrom in opposite directions and having curved contactshoes 39 at the outer endsA thereof. The Contact shoes are made, preferably, by bending two strands of the wire into parallel planes. In this particular formation the coil body will readily bend to the curvature of va pulley so that such clutch members can be used on. a traveling line. A number of the clutch members 36 are used on a line and adjacent ones are placed in reverse positions as shown in Fig. 10 so that when an article 4G, indicated by dotted lines, is placed between the line strands and the clutch members moved into clamping or holding positions, pressure will be applied from opposite sides of the line. I believe it will be obvious that one arm and its contact shoe might project from one curved part of the body and the other arm with its contact shoe might project from the other or opposite curved part of said body or the arms and contact shoes can be duplicated' so there will be a pair of arms and contact shoes on both sides of the line when the clutch member is in use.

The clutch member 4l illustrated in Fig. 12 is similar to the one shown in Figs. 2, 3 and 4 and comprises .a tubular body 42 elliptical in cross section with' slotsv 43 running in from the ends of the body to the.ribs 44. In addition the ends of the body are'cut away to provide enlargements or entrances 45 to the slots permitting the clutch member to grip a larger portion of the article hung on the line and possibly more rmly hold such article in place. In other words the construction described provides a long clutch member to give an extended clamping surface and at the same time decreasing the line engaging surface so it may freely travel over pulleys with less likelihood of breaking.

The clutch member 46 illustrated in Figs. 13 and 14 is so constructed as to provide an expansible device and comprises two body sections 41 and 48 of elongated semi-elliptical shape which together produce the tubular body of elliptical cross section. One body section, as 41, has grooves 49 in its inside face to receive tongues 50 projecting from the other body section, as 48. The inner faces of the tongues are ilush with the inner face of the body section on which said tongues are formed so there will be no interference with the line and by limiting the approaching movements of the body sections towards one another, slots 5| will be provided similar to those previously described. Each body section has two parallel spaced ribs 52 leaving a channel between them in which is located any suitable contractable means 53, such as a split spring, to urge said body sections towards each other. This arrangement produces a small or compact and very eicient clutch member having the advantage of always hugging the line and still capable of yielding when the line expands laterally due to dampness.

It is to be understood that the exact details of construction herein shown and described are to be taken only as examples of preferred forms of the invention and that various changes relative to material, sizes, shapes, colors and arrangements of parts may be made or resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention and the scope of the depending claims.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and useful is:

1. A pinless display and clothes line consisting of a line having two separate strands side by side, stationary means to hold the strands together, some of which are arranged in pairs with the elements of each pair spaced to permit severance of the line between them, and a multiplicity of clutch members slidably mounted on 50 the line and retained thereon by the stationary means.

2. The structure in claim 1 wherein the clutch members are of tubular formation elliptical in cross section with slots in the wider sides extending inward from opposite ends.

3. In a device of the kind described, a line consisting of two strands side by side, and clutch members slidably mounted thereon, each clutch member comprising a tubular body elliptical in cross section, and ribs on the exterior of the body intermediate its ends, said body having slots in the wider sides extending from the body ends to the ribs.

4. The structure in claim 3 wherein the body has an interior groove and the ribs are knurled.

5. The combination with a line consisting of two strands side by side, holding means at intervals along the line to hold the strands together, and a multiplicity of clutch members slidably mounted on the line between the holding means, each clutch member comprising a tubular body elliptical in cross section, lateral ribs along the wider sides of the body with their ends merging into the body walls, said body having slots Vin both of its wider sides and extending inward from the ends thereof to the ribs.

.6. The structure in claim 5 wherein the interior of the body has a groove running entirely around the same intermediate the ends.

7. The structure in claim 5 wherein the ends of the body are partly cut away to provide entrances leading to the slots.

8. The combination with a line consisting of two strands side by side, holding means at intervals along the line to hold the strands together, and a multiplicity of clutch members slidably mounted on the line between the holding means, each clutch member comprising two semielliptical sections, one of said sections having grooves on the inside thereof, tongues projecting from the other section for sliding movements in said grooves, and means to urge the sections towards each other.

9. The structure in claim 8 wherein the means to urge the sections towards each other is a split generally circular spring embracing the sections and the sections have ribs thereon to prevent displacement of the spring.

EDWARD V. EFFERT. 

